Girls Latin School - Liber Annalis Yearbook (Boston, MA)

Page 39 text:

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,k .... ...... Gl.rIS, Latin School J, ADDRESS OE WELCOME CLASS DAY NORMA L. NORDLUND, President of the Class of 1937 It is a great joy for me on behalf of the members of the Gradu- ating Class to welcome our parents, friends, and teachers to share this memorable day with us. It is on this Class Day that we wish to express some of the gratitude that we feel in our hearts. To our Headmaster, Mr. Hapgood, we owe much for his genuine understanding and confidence, which have encouraged us through our years at the Girls' Latin School. His fine, upright qualities will forever be an inspiration to us. Our days in the Girls' Latin School have been brightened by the loving guidance and patient service of our teachers, who have acted as friends and guides to us at all times. To them we are more indebted than we can say. One to whom we owe a special tribute is our dear Class Adviser, Miss Gerrish, who has been our constant help and support, ever patient and, above all, under- standing. To our parents who, we hope, are proud of us today, we give all our affection and thanks for their long understanding and love. Regretfully, We realize that as classmates we are soon to part, but. as a final tribute to our school, we offer our Class Day exercises as an indication of all that our life here has done for us. CPage Thirty-fourl

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E ...-.. wg cu ...--. wz cu ...... if tw ...--. W THE FUTILITY OF WAR Some twenty years ago the whole world was embroiled in a war to end wars, a war to make the world safe for democracy. What has been the result? Today, once again nations are feverishly arming, trying to outdo one another in the power of their armies and navies. It does no good to have a League of Nations, for the nations which form the League refuse to abide by its measures. Since 1918 Great Britain has built a great air force: in her chemical laboratories Germany has made the most remarkable developments in munitions: and even the United States, a peace-loving nation, has now a greater arms budget than any other country with the exception of Japan. With Spain in a turmoil. which, according to some people is a iight to the death between communism and fascism, according to others between communism and monarchism, and accord- ing to still others between labor and capital, only a very small spark is needed to ignite the explosives of the world and reduce civilization to the nothingness of primeval times. Did the last war end wars? Is the world now safe for democracy? Italy and Germany and Russia make no bones about what they think of democratic government. They continue to accept dictators who stamp out light, cramp the soul, and make every man as much like his neighbor as is humanly possible. What is worse, the contagion is spreading. Today the English speaking peoples and the Scandinavian nations are apparently the only ones with any taste for democracy, and no one knows how long they will remain true to their govern- mental ideals in the face of the hordes who are returning to autocracy under dif- ferent names, like Russia merely changing one set of masters for another. It is disheartening to think that so many men were lost, so many minds ruined in a war which only hurried on the evil against which it was fought. The World War has made a terrible and irreparable impression on all people. Even those of us who were born after the Armistice was signed have felt the effect of its poison. We have seen the wrecks that were made of men, not only in the war, but afterwards when men did not care what they did so long as they could forget. They drank in desperation, and the horrors of pro- hibition-the bootlegging and the poisonous alcohol--could not stop them. There was a wild hysterical gaiety in the air. The gangster became increasing- ly popular, especially to children who were growing up. To some people it is a wonder that the present generation has any ideals at all after the wreck the past generation made of theirs. There have been other wars just as futile as the last: for war, whichever way one looks at it, ends at best in compromise. The country vanquished and the vanquishing country can not help being impaired in the process of try- ing to cut each other's throats: and, when the prize of victory is depleted by ravage and exhaustion, the Cause becomes both ludicrous and empty. We know what little good it did the Germans to sing Deutschland uber Alles or the Allies to cry Save the world for democracy! At the end of the Civil War the Southerners saw with bitterness how little they had helped the cause for which so many had gladly fought and died: for the enfranchisement of the slaves ruined half the industries of the South and brought misery into thousands of homes. It is ironical that the Frenchmen who stirred their people with the nobility of La Marseillaisen as they marched down the streets of Paris, should have created a period of carnage and terror equal to any the world has ever known. CPage Thirty-sixj